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Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Balls Bridge | Truss | Little Lakes Road | Huron County, Ontario | Rural | Maitland River |
As of January 2007, the county moved to transfer ownership of this bridge to the townships, which was the first and major step, and a big victory to save Balls Bridge. The future is looking bright now!
Balls Bridge is one of the finest bridges in Ontario, and it is an important bridge to feature on this website because this is one of Ontario's older and most beautiful heritage bridges, but also because its fate is in question, and at the same time a group dedicated to saving and preserving this bridge has been formed. I encourage you to visit the www.friendsofballsbridge.com to sign the petition supporting the restoration of this bridge and also to learn more about the rich history of the bridge. The website features some additional photos, as well as historical overviews, and stories of people who have enjoyed the bridge. This is a truly historic bridge that is beloved by many, and it needs to be saved!
Be sure to read the flyer I created that features a brief overview of truss bridges and a discussion of the significance of Balls Bridge. This flyer is my official overview/narrative/argument for the bridge and its preservation. It is also was the groundwork for a speech I gave in Goderich, ON in October on the bridge. Below on this page, you will find my more usual set of informal comments about the bridge that may be updated with more thoughts if I revisit the bridge.
Although I have driven within ten miles of a beautiful truss bridge known as Balls Bridge perhaps a dozen times, I never knew that was driving so near to one of Ontario's most beautiful and significant bridges, located in Huron County. The bridge is a gorgeous two-span pin connected Pratt through truss, and was recently closed to traffic with an uncertain future and no government effort to repair the bridge. A group of concerned citizens has formed a group that is fighting to save the bridge, and they need some help, mainly in the form of a simple letter of support to a number of people in charge. Even if you do not live in the area, it is important to express interest in the bridge, because preserving this bridge will make the area be a continued tourist attraction, and will make the area more interesting to people looking to move to the area. As a two-span pin connected structure, this is an extremely significant historic bridge, and a beautiful landmark. Pin connected truss bridges are extremely rare in Ontario, and multi-span examples are rare anywhere. Balls Bridge deserves nothing less than a full restoration! The Friends of Balls Bridge and I would greatly appreciate anyone's effort to support the preservation of this bridge.
The Balls Bridge still stands out to me as a particularly beautiful and rare historic bridge. The Balls Bridge is technically defined as a two-span pin connected Pratt through truss. The bridge is supported by a concrete pier and one stone and one concrete abutment. The concrete abutment is at the west end of the bridge, while the stone is at the east end. Each span is composed of eight panels. The pin connected truss bridge was a common design during the late 1800s and early 1900s but faded away as new building techniques were developed. Due to attrition, this bridge type has become very rare today, especially in Ontario. However, the Balls Bridge remains today as an excellent example of this structure type, and a long one at two spans. Moreover, the 1882 construction date given for this bridge makes it ancient, and sets it among some of the oldest metal truss bridges in the U.S. and Canada, along with bridges such as the Bauer Road Bridge. There are Carnegie stamps present on the bridge, identifying the company who provided the iron/steel. Not only is the bridge important because it offers a glimpse into the past, it is also a beautiful structure with many aesthetic qualities not found in modern bridges designed and built today. Bridges like the Balls Bridge were designed with a great deal attention given to the details. There is v-lacing and lattice present on various places of the bridge, which adds to the beauty. The complex arrangement of trusses form a geometric art that is unlike the simple beam bridges that are often seen on today’s rivers and expressways. This bridge is irreplaceable.
I can not understate how important the Ball's Bridge is to
Huron County, and all of Ontario's transportation heritage. The Ball's Bridge is
a pin connected structure, which is a feature seen on the older metal truss
bridges. Pin connected truss bridges are very rare in Ontario, and as such the
bridge is significant. Furthermore, the bridge is two-span. Multi-span truss
bridges of any kind are uncommon, and a multi-span bridge from this era is
extremely rare! So, from a historian's perspective this bridge is a treasure.
Historical significance aside, a bridge such as the Ball's Bridge is so
beautiful, and speaks of an era when bridge building included an attention to
design and detail that is no longer given on the plain modern bridges of today.
The lightweight, yet complex truss structure is a beauty to behold, and it adds
so much to the surrounding area.
It would be nothing short of a crime to demolish or let collapse, this historic
bridge. Driving across a truss bridge and experiencing the unique "tunnel
effect" is something that people deserve to have access to. This is a bridge
with history, and there are many people who have enjoyed this bridge, and many
more who can discover and enjoy this bridge in the years to come if this bridge
is preserved.
Apparently, some of the original set of officials in office who took their "do-nothing" position on this bridge were misled by my website, and have interpreted the fact that I feature hundreds of metal truss bridges on this website to mean that metal truss bridges like Balls Bridge are common. I am obviously alarmed that my website had accomplished the exact opposite of its goal in this instance, and so I composed a letter which is available here to explain why this website has so many truss bridges, while at the same time showing that the Balls Bridge and pin connected truss bridges in general are rare and historically significant.
